Lady luck has lavished Liverpool with good fortune throughout this season’s Champions League, but it wasn’t bad luck that struck in the semi-final second leg against Chelsea – it was a series of catastrophic mistakes by Rafael Benitez that ultimately condemned the club to defeat.
Dodgy refereeing decisions have eased Liverpool’s path through the knock out stages of this season’s competition, with the club benefiting from crucial decisions against both Inter Milan and Arsenal.
As such, Chelsea presented the first real test of Liverpool’s European credentials; the players had a chance to prove they could progress without a helping hand from the referee, but sadly, over the two legs, it just didn't happen.
Rafa is often lauded as ‘the most tactically astute manager in Europe’ for his track record of outwitting top clubs in Europe, but last night’s defeat to Chelsea has, in my view, tarnished his reputation as Europe's premiere footballing tactician.
Let’s just take a look at some the decisions Rafa made that directly contributed to Liverpool’s downfall.
Baiting Didier Drogba
In the build up to the game, Rafa decided that he would have a go at Didier Drogba, and basically called the Chelsea striker a cheat in public. Drogba in turn issued a public retort rebuking Benitez for his comments – something he was well within his rights to do in my view.
Many Liverpool fans predictably slated Drogba for stating he’d ‘lost respect for Benitez’, but why should just stand there do nothing whilst he’s publicly ridiculed? Indeed, Rafa never wastes any time threatening people with court action whenever things are said that he deems to be offensive.
Rafa’s attack was totally unprovoked and completely unnecessary. Irrespective of whether he was right, his comments lacked class – a quality Liverpool fans have come to expect of the Spaniard.
It transpired that Rafa’s lame and counter productive attempt at pre-match psychological warfare failed dismally. Drogba was clearly fired-up by the personal affront and put in an excellent performance, which was capped off with two killer goals that basically dumped Liverpool out of the tournament.
Failed Formation
When is Rafa going to learn? The 4-2-3-1 formation DOES NOT WORK AGAINST TOP DEFENCES! The Gerrard/Torres partnership only works against inferior opposition, and this has been proven time and time again this season.
Examples: Inter Milan home and Away; Man U at Old Trafford; both Arsenal games at the Emirates; Both Chelsea games at Stamford Bridge this season. The list goes on.
I argued before the game that Liverpool needed to play 4-4-2 with Peter Crouch up front if they were to have any chance of winning. As per usual, Rafa’s irrational stubbornness led to yet another unacceptable snub for Crouch and persistence with a failing system.
Partly as a result of the formation, Steven Gerrard’s legendary positional indiscipline reared its ugly head again during the game, as he repeatedly deserted his post to go roaming for the ball in midfield, leaving Torres isolated up front.
Not that it mattered, considering Claude Makalele had Gerrard under his thumb for pretty much the entire game.
The system has to take some of the blame for Gerrard’s failure to register an impact in bother Chelsea games, but the fact the always seems to go missing against England’s top clubs should also be considered.
It took almost 4 years for Rafa to finally admit that his rotation policy wasn't working; Is it going to take another 4 years of playing the failing 4-2-3-1 formation before he finally admits it doesn't work?! Let's hope not!
Failure to play Peter Crouch
Given the FACT that the 4-2-3-1 formation has repeatedly failed against top opposition this season, Rafa’s refusal to play Peter Crouch is nothing short of dereliction of duty in my view.
Chelsea hate playing against Crouch! John Terry has admitted this, and whenever because whenever Crouch plays he causes Chelsea problems. Rafa should have capitalized on this, but instead he delivered an ignominious snub to a player who has score or created 41 goals in his last 46 starts.
I repeat:
41 goals scored/created from the last 46 starts.
What is wrong with this picture?! Why did Rafa ignore Crouch once again, especially when Liverpool needed goals? There is no logical or acceptable reason.
Coming into the Chelsea game, Crouch had scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist in his previous 4 starts. He was on fire and confident, yet once again, Rafa failed to utilize this.
In the quarter final second leg against Arsenal, Rafa played 4-4-2 and paired Crouch with Torres. Liverpool won 4-2, albeit with assistance from the referee.
The point is, the formation worked during the game; Crouch caused problems and even provided his customary assist. The Crouch/Torres partnership WORKED, but this was not good enough for Rafa, who for some maddening and inexplicable reason, does not rate Crouch.
As I said above, this is management negligence of the highest order, but when it comes to Crouch, this kind of behaviour should be expected from Rafa.
And it is not the first time Rafa has scandalously ignored Crouch in a massively important game. Liverpool were crying out for Crouch in the CL final against Milan last year, and Rafa ignored him until the last few minutes.
It could fairly and reasonably be argued that Rafa's problems with Crouch are not related to football, because on a purely footballing level, Crouch ticks all the right boxes.
Perhaps it's personal? Who knows. What is clear however is Rafa's treatment and management of Crouch this season has been a disgrace.
Taking off Fernando Torres
The official explanation is that Torres had some ‘trouble’ with his hamstring. Well, believe that and you’ll believe anything. As a matter of indisputable FACT, Torres did not signal to the bench at any time to inform them that he had a problem.
So how did Benitez know that Torres had an alleged hamstring problem? Telepathy?! One look at Torres’ seething expression as he left the pitch is enough to confirm the truth: Rafa’s decision was tactical. For what tactical end I have no idea, but I firmly disbelieve that Torres was injured.
Even if he *did* have a slight problem, why take him off? Torres proved during the game with his excellent goal that he only needs the slightest chance to deliver the goods. Taking off a Striker who has scored 31 goals in the most important match of the season when the team *needs goals* was a suicidal decision.
I would almost go as far as to say that in the history of catastrophic Champions League decisions, it ranks up there with Gerard Houllier replacing Dietmar Hamann with Vladimir Smicer in the 2002 CL quarter final against Bayer Leverkusen – a decision that cost Liverpool a semi-final berth against...Manchester United.
Taking off Yossi Benayoun
With Gerrard neutered by Makalele and no other player providing any kind of creative threat, the removal of Yossi Benayoun was a major mistake. The Israeli provided a sublime assist for Torres and could have done the same thing again as the game wore on.
Many Liverpool fans have criticized Benayoun’s performance, but I can’t see why. Actually, I can – the fans don’t want to blame golden boy Gerrard for his latest no-show, so someone has to take the blame, and Benayoun (along with Xabi Alonso) is the chosen one.
Benayoun played much better than Gerrard, provided the assist and rarely gave the ball away. Furthermore, he is one of Liverpool’s more technically proficient players; and in the pouring rain, he was surely a much better option that ‘non-deadly’ Dirk Kuyt, who offered absolutely NOTHING for the entire game.
Wingers and no Strikers?
So Rafa took off Torres and Benayoun and brought on Ryan Babel and Jermaine Pennant, who are both (ostensibly) wingers.
WHY PLAY TWO WINGERS WITH NO STRIKERS ON THE PITCH?!
It is beyond ridiculous. Playing Babel and Pennant with no Torres or Crouch defeats the object of having wingers in the first place! To whom was Pennant supposed to cross?! Who was the target man - Dirk Kuyt?! A player who has singularly failed to offer any goalscoring threat for the majority of the season?
This is why Peter Crouch needed to be on the pitch. At least then, the likes of Pennant and Babel have someone to aim for. And after The Pennant/Crouch super-show against Birmingham - which prompted Crouch to publicly sing Pennant’s praises - the partnership was definitely worth a shot for the final phase of the game.
Failure to buy first team wingers
Expanding the point about wingers – Rafa has been at Liverpool for 4 years now and the club still has no first choice wingers, i.e. specialists, not square pegs in round holes. Liverpool lined up with Kuyt on the right and Benayoun on the left, neither of whom were playing in their natural positions.
If Rafa had actually addressed this issue at any point over the last 4 years then the Liverpool team that lined up against Chelsea would have been far more balanced, and would not have been relying on a failed striker to provide a creative threat.
We also had the usual Gerrard no-show and lack of real leadership when it mattered, but I’ve explored those issues at length recently, so I won’t do the same here.
All of this was compounded by the pre-match arrogance of Liverpool’s players, something that has become worryingly epidemic this season.
I am so sick of the boasting and inflated self-importance of Liverpool players. I want a return to the quiet dignity and modesty of the past, but I just can’t see that happening.
There are other things that contributed to the defeat, but Rafa’s mistakes are the main reason Liverpool are out of the Champions League.
If only Rafa had kept his mouth shut before the game, made sure his players did the same and played 4-4-2 with Crouch and Torres up front, then I am sure that today, we would all be looking forward to a once in a lifetime game against Manchester United.
Dodgy refereeing decisions have eased Liverpool’s path through the knock out stages of this season’s competition, with the club benefiting from crucial decisions against both Inter Milan and Arsenal.
As such, Chelsea presented the first real test of Liverpool’s European credentials; the players had a chance to prove they could progress without a helping hand from the referee, but sadly, over the two legs, it just didn't happen.
Rafa is often lauded as ‘the most tactically astute manager in Europe’ for his track record of outwitting top clubs in Europe, but last night’s defeat to Chelsea has, in my view, tarnished his reputation as Europe's premiere footballing tactician.
Let’s just take a look at some the decisions Rafa made that directly contributed to Liverpool’s downfall.
Baiting Didier Drogba
In the build up to the game, Rafa decided that he would have a go at Didier Drogba, and basically called the Chelsea striker a cheat in public. Drogba in turn issued a public retort rebuking Benitez for his comments – something he was well within his rights to do in my view.
Many Liverpool fans predictably slated Drogba for stating he’d ‘lost respect for Benitez’, but why should just stand there do nothing whilst he’s publicly ridiculed? Indeed, Rafa never wastes any time threatening people with court action whenever things are said that he deems to be offensive.
Rafa’s attack was totally unprovoked and completely unnecessary. Irrespective of whether he was right, his comments lacked class – a quality Liverpool fans have come to expect of the Spaniard.
It transpired that Rafa’s lame and counter productive attempt at pre-match psychological warfare failed dismally. Drogba was clearly fired-up by the personal affront and put in an excellent performance, which was capped off with two killer goals that basically dumped Liverpool out of the tournament.
Failed Formation
When is Rafa going to learn? The 4-2-3-1 formation DOES NOT WORK AGAINST TOP DEFENCES! The Gerrard/Torres partnership only works against inferior opposition, and this has been proven time and time again this season.
Examples: Inter Milan home and Away; Man U at Old Trafford; both Arsenal games at the Emirates; Both Chelsea games at Stamford Bridge this season. The list goes on.
I argued before the game that Liverpool needed to play 4-4-2 with Peter Crouch up front if they were to have any chance of winning. As per usual, Rafa’s irrational stubbornness led to yet another unacceptable snub for Crouch and persistence with a failing system.
Partly as a result of the formation, Steven Gerrard’s legendary positional indiscipline reared its ugly head again during the game, as he repeatedly deserted his post to go roaming for the ball in midfield, leaving Torres isolated up front.
Not that it mattered, considering Claude Makalele had Gerrard under his thumb for pretty much the entire game.
The system has to take some of the blame for Gerrard’s failure to register an impact in bother Chelsea games, but the fact the always seems to go missing against England’s top clubs should also be considered.
It took almost 4 years for Rafa to finally admit that his rotation policy wasn't working; Is it going to take another 4 years of playing the failing 4-2-3-1 formation before he finally admits it doesn't work?! Let's hope not!
Failure to play Peter Crouch
Given the FACT that the 4-2-3-1 formation has repeatedly failed against top opposition this season, Rafa’s refusal to play Peter Crouch is nothing short of dereliction of duty in my view.
Chelsea hate playing against Crouch! John Terry has admitted this, and whenever because whenever Crouch plays he causes Chelsea problems. Rafa should have capitalized on this, but instead he delivered an ignominious snub to a player who has score or created 41 goals in his last 46 starts.
I repeat:
41 goals scored/created from the last 46 starts.
What is wrong with this picture?! Why did Rafa ignore Crouch once again, especially when Liverpool needed goals? There is no logical or acceptable reason.
Coming into the Chelsea game, Crouch had scored 3 goals and provided 1 assist in his previous 4 starts. He was on fire and confident, yet once again, Rafa failed to utilize this.
In the quarter final second leg against Arsenal, Rafa played 4-4-2 and paired Crouch with Torres. Liverpool won 4-2, albeit with assistance from the referee.
The point is, the formation worked during the game; Crouch caused problems and even provided his customary assist. The Crouch/Torres partnership WORKED, but this was not good enough for Rafa, who for some maddening and inexplicable reason, does not rate Crouch.
As I said above, this is management negligence of the highest order, but when it comes to Crouch, this kind of behaviour should be expected from Rafa.
And it is not the first time Rafa has scandalously ignored Crouch in a massively important game. Liverpool were crying out for Crouch in the CL final against Milan last year, and Rafa ignored him until the last few minutes.
It could fairly and reasonably be argued that Rafa's problems with Crouch are not related to football, because on a purely footballing level, Crouch ticks all the right boxes.
Perhaps it's personal? Who knows. What is clear however is Rafa's treatment and management of Crouch this season has been a disgrace.
Taking off Fernando Torres
The official explanation is that Torres had some ‘trouble’ with his hamstring. Well, believe that and you’ll believe anything. As a matter of indisputable FACT, Torres did not signal to the bench at any time to inform them that he had a problem.
So how did Benitez know that Torres had an alleged hamstring problem? Telepathy?! One look at Torres’ seething expression as he left the pitch is enough to confirm the truth: Rafa’s decision was tactical. For what tactical end I have no idea, but I firmly disbelieve that Torres was injured.
Even if he *did* have a slight problem, why take him off? Torres proved during the game with his excellent goal that he only needs the slightest chance to deliver the goods. Taking off a Striker who has scored 31 goals in the most important match of the season when the team *needs goals* was a suicidal decision.
I would almost go as far as to say that in the history of catastrophic Champions League decisions, it ranks up there with Gerard Houllier replacing Dietmar Hamann with Vladimir Smicer in the 2002 CL quarter final against Bayer Leverkusen – a decision that cost Liverpool a semi-final berth against...Manchester United.
Taking off Yossi Benayoun
With Gerrard neutered by Makalele and no other player providing any kind of creative threat, the removal of Yossi Benayoun was a major mistake. The Israeli provided a sublime assist for Torres and could have done the same thing again as the game wore on.
Many Liverpool fans have criticized Benayoun’s performance, but I can’t see why. Actually, I can – the fans don’t want to blame golden boy Gerrard for his latest no-show, so someone has to take the blame, and Benayoun (along with Xabi Alonso) is the chosen one.
Benayoun played much better than Gerrard, provided the assist and rarely gave the ball away. Furthermore, he is one of Liverpool’s more technically proficient players; and in the pouring rain, he was surely a much better option that ‘non-deadly’ Dirk Kuyt, who offered absolutely NOTHING for the entire game.
Wingers and no Strikers?
So Rafa took off Torres and Benayoun and brought on Ryan Babel and Jermaine Pennant, who are both (ostensibly) wingers.
WHY PLAY TWO WINGERS WITH NO STRIKERS ON THE PITCH?!
It is beyond ridiculous. Playing Babel and Pennant with no Torres or Crouch defeats the object of having wingers in the first place! To whom was Pennant supposed to cross?! Who was the target man - Dirk Kuyt?! A player who has singularly failed to offer any goalscoring threat for the majority of the season?
This is why Peter Crouch needed to be on the pitch. At least then, the likes of Pennant and Babel have someone to aim for. And after The Pennant/Crouch super-show against Birmingham - which prompted Crouch to publicly sing Pennant’s praises - the partnership was definitely worth a shot for the final phase of the game.
Failure to buy first team wingers
Expanding the point about wingers – Rafa has been at Liverpool for 4 years now and the club still has no first choice wingers, i.e. specialists, not square pegs in round holes. Liverpool lined up with Kuyt on the right and Benayoun on the left, neither of whom were playing in their natural positions.
If Rafa had actually addressed this issue at any point over the last 4 years then the Liverpool team that lined up against Chelsea would have been far more balanced, and would not have been relying on a failed striker to provide a creative threat.
We also had the usual Gerrard no-show and lack of real leadership when it mattered, but I’ve explored those issues at length recently, so I won’t do the same here.
All of this was compounded by the pre-match arrogance of Liverpool’s players, something that has become worryingly epidemic this season.
I am so sick of the boasting and inflated self-importance of Liverpool players. I want a return to the quiet dignity and modesty of the past, but I just can’t see that happening.
There are other things that contributed to the defeat, but Rafa’s mistakes are the main reason Liverpool are out of the Champions League.
If only Rafa had kept his mouth shut before the game, made sure his players did the same and played 4-4-2 with Crouch and Torres up front, then I am sure that today, we would all be looking forward to a once in a lifetime game against Manchester United.
